Recent Posts
Happy Friday, friends! As usual, I have the week’s scoops for you, as well as a personal message of gratitude as I slide all the way into retirement and bring you my final column. Never fear—the scoops will continue—because keeping this community connected is important to MDR and all of us. But right now, check […]
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Why is integrated marketing THE buzz phrase in education marketing? Because educators seek information from multiple channels before making decisions. You need to meet your audience where THEY are, where THEY spend time, rather than expecting them to come to you. It takes multiple touches- 10 or more- to create brand trust and conversion with educators. […]
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It’s Official! More than 26 years ago, a young, smart and passionate professional offered to help a friend. She was a former teacher, a school administrator, a director of technology and curriculum serving children with learning disabilities at Briarwood School and a consummate connector. She wanted the best for education and kids. And, she believed […]
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Whew! It has been one cold week in the United States. I could not believe the East Coast had temps colder than Mars! I hope everyone is thawing out and staying warm. As usual, I have the week’s scoops for you. Check out the news from this week…. Ch-ch-ch-changes…. Dr. Warren Simmons has a new […]
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Happy new year, friends! I hope yours was a blessed and restful holiday season. It was very special here, and now off we go into a new year. I know you enter 2018 with new hopes and energies for your work in the industry. There are challenges ahead, but I know they are none that […]
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The Department of Education has provided initial feedback to almost all the states that submitted their ESSA accountability plans in fall 2017. States have been asked to clarify elements of their plans or fix problems. How many states will actually make changes remain to be seen, as does the capacity and intent of the Department […]
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Vernon Johnson, President and CEO, Accelerate Learning The demand for workers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) continues to outpace the supply of trained workers in the United States. Yet, of the 50 million students in public elementary and secondary schools, the vast majority will not major in a STEM field or graduate with […]
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Are we really saying good-bye to 2017, friends? It is so hard for me to believe. They say each year goes by more quickly, and I know that to be true. Take a minute now before we ring in the new year to check out one final (but good!) scoop for this year. News from […]
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During an EdNET Conference session with district superintendents, the moderator asked, “What is your vision for the future of education? One response: “That every adult who interacts with a child would communicate belief in that child.” Educators are true believers in their mission, and they expect that you will be, too. This commitment to a […]
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Britten Follett. Senior Vice President of Marketing and Classroom Initiatives, Follett School Solutions Confession: As a kid, I read Trivial Pursuit question cards for fun. Based on that little confession, it’s probably not a huge surprise to anyone reading this that my great-great grandfather started a book business 150 years ago. Reading is in my […]
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Just days before Christmas, and all through the house….life is ever-so-busy busy but wonderful. I hope you are winding down in advance of the holiday weekend but don’t miss your scoops on the way out! Ch-ch-ch-changes….. Shawn Lepper has joined AWE Learning as National Director of Sales. Shawn was previously Global Director of Business Development […]
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Vibhu Mittal, CEO, Edmodo The rise of inappropriate children’s videos on YouTube has put Machine Learning at the center of the conversation for Ed Tech. Machine Learning is clearly a powerful tool that can enrich lives and save time, but YouTube’s example has shown how educational services need to be careful when using it. Machine […]
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Congress continues to work on several pieces of legislation that need to be in place before it moves on to finalize the FY 2018 federal budget, which is now three months overdue. Meanwhile it looks like another Continuing Resolution will be passed to take us into the new year. There’s no real impact on the […]
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Happy holidays, happy holidays….joy everywhere, it seems. What a wonderful season of love and gratitude. Rejoice and celebrate – the reasons are endless! And, to spread a little joy of my own, I have just a couple of scoops for you. Read on…. Woot! Woot! A promotion…. Michael T. Fay, MBA has been promoted to […]
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MDR Honored With Gold in 2017 MarCom Awards We are very proud to announce that MDR, in partnership with PepsiCo and also Quill.com, was selected as a Gold Winner for the 2017 MarCom Awards! The MarCom award is an international competition for marketing and communication professionals. Since its inception in 2004, MarCom has evolved into […]
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For young students, there’s no forbidden door more enthralling than the one labeled “Teacher’s Lounge—Staff Only.” What’s going on in there? Wild parties? The truth is much more mundane than the fabrications of a nine-year-old’s mind. They’re likely to find teachers doing the same thing in their downtime that most working adults do: perusing Facebook, […]
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Got a coding app for kids? A parent-teacher communication tool? It could be the next classroom hit — or it could join the dozens of other duds that teachers don’t use. Edtech products come and go…which ones will be the stand-outs? Believe it or not, a 2015 study found that 65 percent of student licenses for digital […]
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Happy Friday, everyone! Ho –Ho –Whoa! I am so in the holiday spirit, but there is still work to get done this month, so work we must. But it is an enjoyable task to bring you the scoops so read on now to see what’s new this week…. New roles for colleagues and friends…. North […]
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When you were in school, were you ever surprised to run into one of your teachers ‘in the wild?’ Out in your town, shopping with their family, or at the movies? It can be a shock to a kid, but teachers are just like regular people. With one important difference. In their demographics, values, spending […]
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Quill.com Honored With Gold in 2017 MarCom Awards We are very proud to announce that MDR, in partnership with Quill.com, was selected as a Gold Winner for the 2017 MarCom Awards! The MarCom award is an international competition for marketing and communication professionals. Since its inception in 2004, MarCom has evolved into one of the […]
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Well, Thanksgiving is behind us, and here comes Christmas and Hanukkah! However you spend it, we are rolling into the holiday season, though things aren’t slowing down much yet. But I have the holiday spirit—what a joyful time of the year. And I hope I bring you some joy with my weekly scoops. Go check […]
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I’m using my space this week to include information and links to things you may have missed over the past few, very busy weeks. I know I am already finding it challenging to keep up and the holiday flurry has just begun. Read on for updates on what’s happening with Title IV-A grant money, the […]
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Think about your ideal customers. They’re educated, affluent, stable, and influential, right? Those attributes apply to one group more than any other: America’s 7 million educators. Who Are America’s Teachers? Think about it. Every teacher is college-educated. Teachers’ average annual household income is $114,800 — almost 50 percent greater than the general population’s $81,100. This may sound high, but […]
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Cheryl Vedoe – CEO, Apex Learning While national dropout rates have decreased and graduation rates have increased over the past 10 years, there is still concern that high school students are not graduating well prepared for college or career. Based on the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results, just under 40 percent of […]
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Michele Pitman, Founder, intelliVOL We generally assume that students who volunteer time in community service have an advantage when applying for college or scholarships. Unfortunately, up until 2008 when x2VOL was released by intelliVOL there was no system to digitally record and verify student service hours, which made it difficult to confirm the amount of […]
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Hi, everyone! My scoops for this week are all about accolades! Read on to see who is in the limelight…. Woo hoo! The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), in partnership with EdScoop, recently announced the creation of a K-12 EdTech Time Capsule. They have now revealed the time capsule contents, the culmination of a national […]
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Last week, our partner Engage for Good hosted a webinar featuring our very own Bernadette Grey and Tom Mooradian, Manager of Environmental Sustainability at PepsiCo. They shared how best to target and reach educators for cause related initiatives, as well as specific lessons learned from PepsiCo’s Recycle Rally program. If you have a mission that would benefit from engaging educators, […]
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Happy Friday, everyone. We hope you love the new newsletter format! And as usual, I hope you love my scoops—check them out now! Ch-ch-ch-changes…. Mary Cullinane has a new role as Partner at Community Barn Ventures. Mary was previously Chief Content Officer and EVP of Product Planning, Development, and Marketing at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Community […]
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Andrew Friedman – President and CEO, Learning Ally With the close of the EdNET2017 conference, it is apparent that the ed tech community remains vigilant in tackling both the age-old problems in public education and the rapid shifts that compel our industry forward to develop the best products and services that will significantly benefit our […]
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The Gates Foundation has established new funding priorities for its K-12 education investments. The Foundation expects to commit $1.7 billion to K-12 over the next five years, with 60% of that amount devoted to curriculum development and a new network building initiative and 15% directed to charter schools. But the foundation has not totally abandoned […]
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